Saturday, 16 October 2010

sometimes disasters still taste good

fact one....fresh pumpkin puree is different every time you make it
fact two....i don't understand baking enough to create my own recipes with success
fact three...gaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh

today...a three alarm disaster took place in my kitchen...and....i was totally 100% to blame! i accept all responsibility for the ruining of the scones, i am the one who chose to go off course, i was the one who got all creative in the kitchen...i was the one who....oh......it is just so embarassing! I totally overworked the scone mixture, it was too wet....it was too sticky...it needed more flour....but as little kneading as possible....gaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

let me take you back to the beginning...to yesterday when I bought Nigella's new book and honed in on her pumpkin scone recipe. They are gorgeous...they are bright orange and tall and look ammmmmazing. I had to make them, I had to eat them...I HAD TO HAVE THEM....AND....I was ready for them. I managed to buy a couple of small pumpkins at the grocery store yesterday and was ready to puree and bake....

Ready, Steady....GO! All evening I had images of pumpkiny scones slathered with cinnamon sugar butter....mmmmmm cue sugar coma....one problem...the recipe is for SAVOURY scones! GAK! chili oil and parmesean cheese and lea & perrins....no no no this will not do! I love you Nigella and I want to make your scones....I do I do I do...but since I finished my last slice of Butternutsquash pie on Wednesday I have been craving its substitute....a sort of pumpkin pie scone?!!

My vision wasn't entirely realised this afternoon...using Nigella's proportions and method I simply swapped savoury for sweet...but with very little success. She has you mix all the wet ingredients together into which you add the flour and rising agents....in hindsight I should have added the wet into the dry a little bit at a time...but, of course, that is the benefit of hindsight. So the scones didn't rise, I know I overworked the mixture, I know i didn't roll them out thick enough, I know it was still a bit too wet because of the pumpkin...I know all that...I don't know if I can really fix it, but I will give the proper recipe a go in a few weeks once my ego has healed.

The taste verdict?? oh....they tasted really good with their crispy sugar coating and the yummy cinnamon sugar butter I whipped up, but with out the rise and scone-like texture I just couldn't find that much joy in the three I managed to eat!

I do love a kitchen disaster... can we have the recipe please?... next time I would add wet to dry but stir whilst you do it and then you'll know if you need to use all the wet ingredients. I always hold back a little of the wet stuff when I make scones as I know if they get too wet they just wont work... better luck next time x

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Well hello there!!

Welcome to 21st century urban housewife! I hope that you enjoy my homely and sometimes scattered postings. I started this blog when my hubby and I first moved-in together. I wasn't working, so I was "keeping house" and writing about it. Since then, we've moved to Edinburgh and I've found myself in the middle of an active and enthusiastic foodie scene. While I'm still on a budget I'm allowing myself some indulgences...